The Urban Cultivation Grandmaster

Chapter 36: The Strong Reign Supreme—Secure Your Share!

Shock! The entire crowd was stunned! Everyone stood there, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them. Mu Tian had actually defeated Jin Bo, the head of the Jin Martial Arts Academy, with a single move! Under everyone’s gaze, Mu Tian remained impassive, betraying no emotion. He spoke calmly to Jin Bo, who lay on the ground: “Master Jin, what do you say? Isn’t your Jin family second-rate after all?” Jin Bo was overcome with grief and fury, and in a fit of rage, he shouted, “You… you short-lived upstart! You’ve gone too far!” Mu Tian smiled. “The strong reign supreme—that’s the principle you taught your daughter, and she passed it on to me. Now I’m returning it to you!” “You… you… this is outrageous! Even if you defeated me, so what? You have no right to revoke the Jin family’s eligibility to participate in the development of the Jiuling Mountains! Mayor Li, Mayor Li, please step in and uphold justice!” At that moment, a glimmer of hope flashed in Jin Bo’s eyes as he thought of Mayor Li. After all, the government still held the reins of power; without Mayor Li’s approval, Mu Tian’s words would carry no weight. Instantly, Mayor Li’s brow furrowed. As the local authority, he had no choice but to handle the entire incident. To be honest, Mayor Li was deeply dissatisfied with Mu Tian’s brazen intervention; Mu Tian had disrupted his plans, leaving him in a rather tricky situation. If he protected the Jin family, he would undoubtedly offend Mu Tian. If the hot-headed Mu Tian were to storm off to a sister city at the slightest provocation, there would be nothing he could do—after all, those sister cities had been eyeing Mu Tian for quite some time. If he tacitly approved of Mu Tian’s actions, it would undoubtedly undermine the city’s authority and embolden those who relied on their superior cultivation to act with even greater impunity. Mu Tian usually seemed quite reasonable—why was he letting him down now? Establishing his authority was one thing, but surely not at a critical juncture like this. Mayor Li was quite torn. After much deliberation, he finally spoke: “Director Jin has suffered serious injuries and will likely find it difficult to shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing the Jiuling Mountains. It would be best for him to stay home and recuperate. However, the younger members of your institute can lend a hand, and you will certainly receive your due compensation when the time comes.” “What do you two think?” Although Mayor Li addressed both of them, his gaze was fixed on Mu Tian Sheng; clearly, he was seeking Mu Tian’s opinion. As for whether Jin Bo agreed or not, Mayor Li simply didn’t have the time to concern himself with that. Mu Tian nodded in agreement, though inwardly he sighed—it seemed he had drawn Mayor Li’s displeasure this time. But there was no other choice; this was a matter of principle. If he didn’t firmly establish his authority now, he would have a hard time getting by in Tianjiang City in the future. Mayor Li had effectively played the role of peacemaker this time. Taking advantage of Jin Bo’s serious injury, he had sidelined Jin Bo himself, allowing only disciples of the Jin Family Martial Arts School to participate. Without Jin Bo, what kind of waves could the Jin family possibly make? They’d be left to pick up only the scraps. This way, he neither offended Mu Tian nor undermined his authority—it was a very clever move. With the matter of the Jin Family Martial Arts Hall settled, Mu Tian returned to his seat. At that moment, he clearly noticed that the way everyone around him looked at him had changed. From the cultivators in the audience to the backstage staff and the volunteers from the Cultivator Academy, everyone was staring intently at Mu Tian. Clearly, they were still reeling from the earth-shattering palm strike he had just unleashed, which had sent shockwaves rippling through the entire venue. Next up, of course, was the competition to determine the three strongest cultivators in Tianjiang and secure their share of resources. Tianjiang’s Number One Cultivator—Master Deming! This was universally acknowledged, with no one disputing it. As the first great cultivator in Tianjiang City to transcend the Pulse Condensation Realm, Master Deming was regarded by all as a god or Buddha—an unshakable figure. One-tenth of the share went to Donglin Temple without a doubt. The remaining 10 percent instantly became the prize that all cultivators present were scrambling to compete for. Since Master Deming was universally recognized as the strongest, the other two would each receive half a percent—a 5 percent share of the profits—which was undeniably tempting to everyone. “To narrow the field, only cultivators at the fifth level of the Pulse Condensation Realm or above are eligible to compete! Fellow cultivators at the fifth level of the Pulse Condensation Realm or above, please step forward.” As Mayor Li spoke, dozens of people stepped forward one after another. Whether intentionally or not, four individuals—Wang Jian from the Military District’s Ancient Martial Arts Camp, Yang Yuan from the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, Ma Dayong from the Ma Family Baji Martial Arts Hall, and Wei Ning from the Wei Family—all displayed terrifying cultivation at the seventh level of the Meridian Condensation Realm. The cultivators who had already stepped onto the stage immediately turned pale, their faces filled with shock! “Seventh Level of the Meridian Condensation Realm!!!” The entire venue erupted into commotion. Needless to say, these four were clearing the field, demonstrating their strength, and intending to weed out those who were just trying their luck. It must be said that after these four intimidated the crowd, the effect was immediate: what had started as a group of several dozen people was suddenly reduced by more than half, leaving fewer than ten remaining. In the end, even the few remaining participants couldn’t withstand the pressure from the four and left the arena with wry, resigned smiles. At that moment, Mu Tian stood up and walked toward the center of the venue. “I wonder if you’d mind adding me to the mix. How could such an elegant literary contest possibly go on without me?” Mu Tian landed lightly among the four, his expression calm and composed—unlike the earlier cultivators, whose faces had been contorted with discomfort. It was as if he could completely ignore the oppressive aura emanating from the four masters. “Master Mu actually intends to join the contest among these four experts? They’re all at the seventh level of the Pulse Condensation Realm. Although that’s only one level higher than Jin Bo’s sixth level, the two are simply incomparable. The difference between the sixth and seventh levels isn’t just a minor step—it’s the difference between the middle and late stages. It’s a qualitative difference!” “Master Mu truly hides his true abilities. I heard he was the worst-performing student at Tianhai Academy—that rumor is complete nonsense!” Wang Jian and Wei Ning weren’t the least bit surprised by Mu Tian’s appearance, but Yang Yuan and Ma Dayong furrowed their brows. Although they weren’t sure of Mu Tian’s exact cultivation level, their intuition told them he couldn’t possibly be higher than the sixth level of the Pulse Condensation Realm! The four did not refuse, but in the very next moment, they simultaneously began exerting pressure on Mu Tian. Instantly, Mu Tian felt as if a colossal force from the heavens and earth were bearing down on him. Wang Jian’s Ancient Wild Ox, Wei Ning’s Two-Winged Demon Tiger, Ma Dayong’s “Swinging Shoulders to Collide with the Heavens, Feet Treading the Nine Provinces,” and Yang Yuan’s “Dragon and Tiger in Tow”—these and many other extraordinary phenomena swept toward Mu Tian. Mu Tian was quite taken aback. He could tell at a glance that all four had cultivated to the point of grasping the essence of their respective realms—they had touched upon the Realm of Divine Essence. Ma Dayong and Yang Yuan, in particular, astonished him greatly. He had originally thought that ancient martial arts were inferior, but now it seemed he had been looking at the world through a narrow lens. Mu Tian wasn’t about to sit idly by. Thus, a thousand tides and ten thousand waves, the Primordial Wild Ox, the Three-Headed Fierce Dragon, the Ancient Demon Bear, and the Primordial Fierce Tiger—all manner of extraordinary phenomena appeared one after another. With his spirit reaching divine heights, that profound Divine Essence and Divine Form rippled through Mu Tian’s body. Under the influence of these myriad “divine” forces, the spiritual energy surrounding him became chaotic and exceptionally violent! A battle without gunfire began at that very moment. The spectators in the arena were oblivious, but apart from Wei Ning, Wang Jian, and Yang Yuan, a storm of shock and awe raged within their hearts. The Masked Man! Mu Tian was actually the Masked Man! The scene from that day—Mu Tian conducting Chuandao to the spirit beasts, causing them to kneel and prostrate themselves—flashed once more through the minds of the three. Soon, the five competitors on the stage ceased their battle. Wang Jian smiled wryly. “Teacher Mu, you really are full of surprises! Thank you for last time.” With that, he stepped down from the stage. Yang Yuan and Ma Dayong also bowed in thanks before stepping down from the stage. In an instant, only Mu Tian and Wei Ning remained on the arena. Were Mu Tian and Wei Ning the winners? Everyone stared at the scene before them in bewilderment, completely baffled.